Stripes and Vests

I recently found this utility vest at JC Penney and I absolutely love how it goes with this J.Crew Factory shirt I found shopping the after Christmas sales.  I wore this last weekend and it was perfect for going to the library with Grant and they having a playdate after nap time.  I also got this top in orange and know I'll try that combo next.  I feel like having easy weekend pieces like this is essential.  I have a bunch of great basics for summer time, but was really lacking in the winter department, these new pieces will definitely get their wear!

How To: Style a Boyfriend Cardigan

I'm excited to be starting a how-to series, which I'll be sharing with you all weekly.  This week I'll be sharing tips on how to style a boyfriend cardigan.  Now, these cardigans can be great, but the length and tendency for them to be over-sized can make them difficult to style.  I have some great tips on how to style them for you all today.

• First, when trying a boyfriend cardigan on in the store, try on your "normal" size and then one size smaller.  You might find that the small works better than the medium, etc.  Also, check the length.  For me, having a boyfriend cardigan hit right below the hips is most flattering.  Due to my short petite figure, cardigans that are longer than this are not flattering on me and look more like a weird dress with buttons on the front.  Not cool.
• One great way to style a boyfriend cardigan once you've gotten a well fitting one is with a jersey dress like this one I'm wearing in the first picture below.  Boyfriend cardigans are more casual in nature, so wearing it with a jersey dress works great.  I'll done this quite a few time and and always feel put together and cozy all day long.  A belt also helps to accentuate your waist with this combo too.
• The second ways to wear a boyfriend cardigan is with skinny jeans.  This is a great combo for casual Friday or for a weekend look.  I think skinny jeans are best because you don't want to create more volume with the outfit by adding a wider leg jean; this outfit can have a tendency to look overwhelming and make you look bigger than you are.  I styled mine below with booties, but you could also easily wear ballet flats or tall boots too. I also feel that tucking in your shirt or wearing a more form fitting shirt is the most flattering with a boyfriend cardigan too, just like with the jeans, an over-sized shirt can make you look bigger than you are.
• The third way to style a boyfriend cardigan is with a mini-skirt.  Now pencil skirts can be ok with boyfriend cardigans too, just keep in mind the casual nature of this piece, so a cotton skirt is probably best.  Once again tucking your shirt in will be the most flattering for this look and I think booties are boots look best.  I don't recommend wearing an a-line skirt with a boyfriend cardigan, just like I stated above with over-sized shirts or wider leg jeans, adding more volume is not very flattering.
• The last way I'm going to show is to wear a boyfriend cardigan with leggings.  I love this with a longer tunic and boots or booties.  I don't recommend wearing leggings to work, I'd stick to wearing this combo for a night with friends or on the weekends.  You also want to make sure your rear is covered by the tunic and cardigan and that the legging are nice and thick.  To wear this look at work, simply swap out the leggings for black jeans or the gigi pant and you're ready to go.

Fair Isle Love

When I saw this sweater in red on Jessica at Bows and Sequins I was in love.  I ended up being able to get it in blue the day of after Christmas for half price and seriously want to wear it every day.  I decided to pair it with my new white vest which I was able to get for a steal at Sears. I'm also really excited about my new watch I got for Christmas. If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a sneak peak.  I totally love it!

I wore this on Tuesday. Grant, Bran and I went to the Children's Museum. We'd bought a family pack of gift certificates at a silent auction recently and decided to use a few of them over Christmas break. The holidays have been so busy we haven't been able to just do something as a family, so it was really nice.

Fur and Plaid

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, I know we did, although I feel like I'm in a food coma.  Grant and I are off to go to the indoor exhibits at the zoo today and it would be a great time!

I wore this outfit on Monday while I did some last minute Christmas shopping.  I ran around all day, thinking this vest and scarf would be enough.....well it was like 5 degrees here Monday.  My arms were freezing although the vest and scarf definitely did the trick.  I'm all about combos like this now, it's like I've found my casual groove and with the weather this cold skirts are definitely out of the question, even one as cute as this. Oh, who am I kidding, I think I need this skirt.

This scarf was sent over by Born Pretty, I really like it, although based on the picture online I thought it was gray.  Whomp, whomp.  It's crazy inexpensive though and I'm happy with the quality. Shipping is free, the one downfall is it's takes about a month for items to arrive.  

Stripes and Elbow Patches

Today I'm happily wearing my elbow patch sweater again. I love how this outfit came together, it was by accident, really. I had another skirt in mind, and when I tried it on, I looked horrific. Whomp, whomp. I'd originally thought this skirt was more summery (it's linen) but when you pair it with tights and a sweater, it suddenly looks wintery. Sweet! 

Also, I picked out a Chi flat iron for a Christmas present and "may" have opened it early to see if it was all it's cracked up to be.  It. Is.  I'm pretty sure it's only going to be good hair days from this day on. : )

Fur-iffic

So, this outfit.  I'm pretty much in love. I found this vest at the end of winter last year for a steal, but only got to wear it once before it warmed up. I kind struggled with how to wear it then, but when I saw this blouse at Target I knew it would be perfect with the vest and my favorite navy skirt.  Yep, I pretty want to wear this every day :)  When I started this little blog about a year ago I was really trying to land on a style I loved, and I feel like that's what I've been able to do. Thanks you little blog, for your help :)

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Skirts and Booties?

I feel like I haven't updated you all on my life lately with my recent series, so here's some random updates for you:

1. I'm pretty sure I've eaten my weight in candy since Halloween. It's ridiculous, people.
2. I've determined I'm the worst coffee maker of all time, I swear I get a mouthful of coffee grounds on a daily basis.  It can't be rocket science, why do I have such a hard time with that darn filter?!?
3. Fall TV!  Can I just tell you how excited that I am that Ted's finally going to get to How He Met Your Mother.  Love that show!
4. When you get to leave work at 3:40 but end up having to stay until 5:00 to work with kids who think homework is optional it gets old pretty fast. As in, holy smokes this is going to be a long year!
5. I'm still on the hunt for new brown riding boots, anyone see any real leather ones they love that are under $150? I tried these one's on, but they bunched at the ankle.  I really want these, but I'm pretty sure my husband is going to tell me to keep dreaming....
6. I have a bunch of pinned outfits I'm chomping at the bit to try next week, stay tuned!

Now to my outfit: Recently my blogging friend Inge asked what I thought about booties with skirts, I honestly wasn't sure, because it hadn't tried it. I decided to give it a try today and love the result. I feel like the booties give the outfit a more casual edge then a traditional heel does. I think the casualness of the cardigan helps make the combo work too, and I'm not going to lie, this might give me a slight case of Buy All The Booties!

Also, have you entered my sponsor's giveaway for an Old Navy gift card yet?

 

Chelsea and Ginny Take On: Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is almost here, Chelsea and I decided to take it on.  You know what that means? No, I'm not talking about Black Friday shopping, though that is fun. I'm talking about Thanksgiving Dinner and the need for comfy clothes. Enter my maxi dress, it feels like pajamas, but looks like actual clothes. Nice! I decided to try it as a skirt and love the result.It was pretty easy to throw a fitted tee over my dress, then I added a denim jacket and fun infinity scarf. I'm now official convinced that maxi skirts aren't only for warm weather, and I'm now on the hunt for one like this. To me, this will be the perfect Thanksgiving look, with plenty of room for turkey and all the other goodness my mom, sister, and husband will bring to the table....I don't so much cook....